Dean Of Mayors In France Woefully Criticizes Algeria

In the quarterly bulletin of the French town of Lorette (Loire department), the mayor Gérard Tardy offers himself a double page editorial on the history of the Algerian war and its lessons. He reproaches President Emmanuel Macron with having spoken in 2017 of “crimes against humanity” when evoking colonization.

 In his text, the oldest mayor of the Loire department, 82 years old, promises “the truth about the Algerian War”, in the light of his personal experience. He accuses General de Gaulle of “treason” after the Evian agreements of 1962.

 He criticized President Emmanuel Macron for having spoken of “crimes against humanity” when referring to colonization. Finally, he asked the Algerian government “rather than spitting on France”, to “thank her” for being able to “take advantage of all that we left before leaving”.

 Contacted by France Bleu radio, Gérard Tardy persists and signs. He says he is responding to the request of the Minister for Remembrance and Veterans, Geneviève Darrieusecq, who, in a speech given last March on the occasion of the anniversary of the Evian agreements, wants to “transmit, listen to, enhance the value of the testimonies, teach the history of the Algerian war”. “And as a veteran, I am responding to her request,” explains the mayor of Lorette.

 “I would have liked to write these things a long time ago. I didn’t do it because I thought I would be taken for the revolutionary of the service”. Gérard Tardy took advantage of this opening left to his interpretation by the minister to deliver “the truth about the Algerian War”, because in the same speech last March, Geneviève Darrieusecq had also warned that the memory of the Algerian War was “plural” and “complex”.

 What the opponent of the mayor’s office, Amelle Gassa, reproaches him with is using the municipal bulletin to put across his ideas, whatever they may be. She would prefer to see other subjects appear in it, such as “innovations, constructions, events, social issues. Let’s focus on the people of Loreto”.

 Some inhabitants of Lorette, of Algerian origin or not, were shocked by this text but they do not wish to express themselves to the Radio’s microphone, for fear, they say, of “reprisals” from the Mayor.

 This is yet another episode in the tormented political life of the commune when Mayor Gérard Tardy interferes in the field of ideas.

 Like the anti-burkini decree in 2017 on the commune’s lake. Like these messages on the municipal notice boards in 2016, ordering residents of the Muslim faith to live their fasting month of Ramadan “quietly” and “uncovered”.

“He is a repeat offender on these subjects but also on the infringement of the rights of the opposition”, says another opponent, Julien Lequeux, “it is extremely rare but the woman Prefect has already called the mayor to order twice for his untoward drifts”.